Combined car-door lock and opener



.A, T. KUEHNERL v COMBINED CAR DOOR LOCK AND OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1920.

A- 7 1? wefenefi A; T. KUEHNEB/ COMBINED CAR DOOR LOCK AND OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1920. 1,428,785, Patented Sept. 12,1922,

2 SHEETSSHEET Z.

A. yr em Patented Sept. 12, 1922,

nits; SITES ARTHUR- T. KUEHNEB, OF ELKRIDGE, MARYLAND.

COMBINED CAR-DOOR LOCK AND OPENER.

Application filed, August '7, 1520. Serial no. 401,884.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. Knnnnnn,

citizen of the United States, residing at Elkridge, in the county of ,Howard and Stateof Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Car-Door Locks and Openers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved car door lock and opener and has as one of its principal objects to provide a device of this character which may be readily applied to a car door of substantially any conventional design and which will serve to securely fasten the door closed.

"A still further object ofthe invention is to provide a device which may be operated for partially opening the door so that a hand may be inserted between the forward end ofthe door and the door jamb for grasping the door and thus readily completing the opening movement thereof.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device which, after the door has been closed, will operate to bind the door against the door jamb so as to maintain a closed joint therebetween.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved device applied to a car door of conventional design,

l igure 2 isa plan view showing the device on a soinewhatenlarged scale,

Figure 3 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of the invention, andi Figure 4; is a longitudinal sectional View taken inedially through the modified strucv ture.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I have shown my improved device in connection with a car doorof conventional design. The door is indicated at 10 and the door jainb at 11, this door jamb being formed by a sealing plate substantially Z-shaped in cross section. About the margins-of the door is fixed a metal frame .12 the members of which, as suggested in -Figure l, provide sealing strips for the -door, similar strips, typified by the strip forming the door jamb 11, being secured about the door opening.

In carrying the invention into effect, I employ a base plate 13 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the door and is providedat its lower edge with an outwardly projecting apertured stop lug let. Rising from the forward end portion of the plate is a headed pivotstud or post 15 and mounted to swingupon said post is an operating lever 16. lever is formed with a depending arcuate finger or lug 17 and rising from the lever above said lug is an arcuate cam lug 18 reinforced atitsrear sideby a suitable reinforcing web 19. The convex forward face of this lug provides, of course, a cam face and,vas willbeiobservechthis face merges graduallywith the forward face of the lug 17 to provide an-arcuate crotchitherebetween lying in a plane axially of the lever. Formed on the lower edge of the lever to mate with the lug 141: of the vbase plate, is an apert-ured' stop lugQO adapted to abut the former lug for limiting the lever in its downward swinging movement to horizontal position, and .dependingfrom the lever at the plane of the pivot stud 15 is an arm 21 the lower end portion of which is ,directed laterally at substantially right angles and is apertured to freely receive theeye of a hasp 22.

Upon the doorjamb 11 is fixed a lock.

stand 23 shaped to litthe Z-shaped strip forming saidijamb. As will be noted, the stand is of skeleton construction and is formed with angularly disposed portions one of which seats against the base flange of said strip and receives a bolt or other suitable fastening device 24. Extending from the other of the angularly disposed portions of the stand are oppositely directed vertical lugs 25 and engaged through these lugs are bolts or other suitable fastening devices 26 cooperating with the boltQt for firmly securing the stand in position Rising from the outer face of the stand medially thereof is a headed. post'2T' fitting in the crotch of the lever 16 between the lugs 17 and 18 and exteniiling from the stand in advance of this post are vertically alined apertured lugs which, for convenience, have been indicated at 23 and 29 respectively.

As will be noted, the hasp 22 is designed to fit over the lug 29 and slidably fitted through the lugs is a headed. locking pin 30 securing the hasp against displacement.

As particularly brought out in Figure 2,

' lug 29 is somewhat smaller than the open ing through the lug 28 and to prevent upward displacement of the pin through this latter lug, the upper end portion of said pin is'provided with lateral stop spurs 31. Through the lower end portion of the pm is a slot through which may be engaged a seal, as conventionally illustrated at 32. Thus, as will be seen, the door Wlll be effectually locked closed and can beopened only by breaking the seal 32 and lifting the looking pin 30 to release the hasp 22.

As will now be readily understood in view of the preceding description, when the hasp 22 is released as previously indicated, and

swung free'of the lug 29 of the lock stand,

the lever 16 may be swung upwardly for riding the cam lug 18 against the post 27 and consequently shifting the door away from V the door jamb. As willbe appreciated, the forward edge of the door may then be grasped so that the door may be readlly opened. At present considerable difficulty is experienced in starting an ordinary car door in its movement toopen position due to the difficulty of obtaining an adequate hold upon the door. In thepresent device this difliculty is effectually overcome since, as will be seen, the lever 16 of the device may be quickly and easily forced upwardly to produce a crack between the forward edge of the door and the door jamb. This done, a hand of the operator may be readily inserted through the crack to engage the door for forcing the door open.

In Figures 3 and i of the drawings, I

; have illustrated a slight modification. of the invention. Referring particularly to these figures, it will be seen that a base plate 33 is employed. From thebase plate extends a pivot stud 34 upon which is pivoted an operating lever 35. Atits forward end this lever is provided with a'cam lug 36 while from the lower edge of the lever extends an apertured lug 37 mating with a similar lug 38 projecting from the base plate. Secured to the door jamb is a lockstand 39 from which projects a headed post 10. All of this structure, asjust described, is identical. with the preferred form of the invention.

As will now be observed upon particular reference to Figure 3, the arm 21 and hasp 22 of the preferred construction are eliminated and in lieu thereof the lug 17, as employed in the preferred construction, is elongated to provide a substantially semicircu lar locking lug 41 adapted to extend beneath and embrace the post 40 of the lock stand. Consequently, when the lever 35 is disposed. in horizontal position, said lug will coact with the post for securing the door against opening'movement. Thus, the lugs 28 and 29 as well as the locking pin 30 of the preferred construction, are also eliminated in this modified structure. vent upward swinging of the lever 35 and accordingly lock the door closed, a look, as conventionally illustrated at 42, is engaged with the apertured lugs 37 and 38. As will be seen, this modified form of the invention also provides a highly effective structure. The cam lug 36 will, of course, coact with the post 40, when the lever 35 is swung upwardly, for forcing the door away from the door jamb sothat the door may be readily opened. Further, attention is directed to To prethe fact that when the door is closed and V the lever is swung downwardly to its normal horizontal position, the lug 41 will coact with the post for binding'the door closed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

and movable members, of a fixed element carried by one of said members, and a lever pivoted upon the other of said members and provided at a point spaced beyond the pivotal center thereof with an operating foot having a curved heel portion extending in a direction around said element and a diverging toe portion having a cam face rising.

above the element to coact therewith throughout the length of said face whereby the lever may be swung for shifting the movable member away from the fixed member, the heel and toe portions forming. a crotch therebetween norm' ally abutting said element i i 2. The combination with relatively fixed and movable members, of a headed post carried by one of said members, and a lever pivoted upon the other of said members and provided at its forward end at a point spaced beyond the pivotal center of the lever with diverging lugs forming a crotch therebel. The combination with relatively fixed tween coacting with the post beneath the head thereof, one of said lugs extending in a direction around the post and the other of sa1d lugs being provided with a cam face overhanging the post wherebythe lever may be swung for causing said face to coact with a point spaced beyond the pivotal center of the lever with an upstanding lug having a cam face extending upwardly over the post whereby the lever may be rocked upwardly for causing said face to coact with the post and shift the movable member away from the fixed member, the lever being provided near the pivot point thereof with an arm a hasp carried by said arm, and means for connecting the hasp with the stand whereby to lock the lever against upward swinging movement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ARTHUR T. KUEHNER. [1,. s.] 

